Reconstruction of surface pressures on flat plates impacted by blast waves using the Virtual Fields Method

An accurate description of surface pressure loads imposed by blast waves is crucial for the design next generation blast-resistant structures. However, experimental techniques non-intrusive, full-field measurements are not readily available. To address this challenge, a new application Virtual Fields Method (VFM) has been explored to reconstruct pressures acting on thin steel plates using deformation plate dynamics. A shock tube facility was used generate blast-like loading in controlled, laboratory environments, where dynamics were measured deflectometry technique. Different blockages at exit allowed varying spatial distribution and temporal history loading. The reconstructed from experimentally kinematic fields VFM. nearly non-deformable equipped with point-wise sensors also obtain reference, allowing assess performance reliability proposed methodology capturing distributions. Moreover, visualizations different wave impacts obtained background-oriented schlieren setup. Finally, influence potential error sources investigated means virtual finite element analysis synthetic input load reconstruction analysis. provided robust, precise predictions noise-free experiments. presence both systematic random errors during campaign resulted reduced accuracy, peak amplitudes approximately 10 ? 20 % lower compared pointwise transducer data. Pressure reconstructions data still showed qualitatively good estimates distributions that extrapolated Hence, work highlights capabilities promising more insight into effective action blast-structure interaction plated • Surface Optical non-intrusive assessment. Full-field, non-uniform based reconstruction. Load elastic, small deformations, theory. experiments evaluating performance.